Cong urged to field Muslim candidate for JH bypoll

Hyderabad: The United Muslim Federation has appealed to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy to field a Muslim candidate from the Congress Party in the upcoming Jubilee Hills Assembly by-election. The Federation stated that a united vote from the Muslim community, along with secular voters, could ensure a clear victory for the Congress candidate.

Federation President Khairuddin Sufi recalled that former cricketer Mohammed Azharuddin had narrowly lost the previous election despite strong support. “This time, any Muslim candidate contesting on a Congress ticket stands a strong chance of winning with the consolidated backing of the community,” he said.

The Federation emphasised that Jubilee Hills has over 1.5 lakh Muslim voters, accounting for a significant share of the constituency. It further announced that, if their demand is accepted, the Federation would voluntarily arrange transport facilities for women and elderly voters on polling day.

Other speakers also referred to the Chief Minister’s earlier remarks at an Urdu Academy programme, where he expressed regret over the lack of Muslim representation in the cabinet. The Federation urged him to act on this concern by ensuring fair representation in Jubilee Hills. The leaders also criticised the nomination of Mohammed Azharuddin to the Legislative Council, arguing that he could have been a strong contender for the by-election. They advised him to decline the MLC post and contest from Jubilee Hills instead.

Federation representatives, including Anwar Khan, Maulana Hamid Hussain Shattari, M A Siddiqui, Sanaullah Khan, and Shakeel, stressed that overlooking Muslim representation would have wider repercussions across Telangana. They highlighted that, with a 10 per cent reservation quota, over 1,500 Muslim candidates could succeed in upcoming Panchayat and Zilla Parishad polls, underlining the importance of political inclusion. They concluded with the announcement that an all-party delegation would soon meet the Chief Minister to submit a memorandum, formally pressing for the ticket to be allotted to a Muslim candidate.